DeKALB – With its final season in the Mid-American Conference on the horizon, NIU released its 2025 football schedule Wednesday, which features matchups with two Power Four opponents and both of last season’s MAC championship contenders.
NIU, who will join the Mountain West Conference as a football-only member in 2026, enters 2025 after recording back-to-back bowl-winning seasons. The Huskies capped an 8-5 campaign in 2024 with their double overtime victory in the Famous Idaho Potato bowl.
BIG TEN, SEC BATTLES IN NON-CON
Since Thomas Hammock took over as head coach in 2019, NIU has opened the season against a Football Championship Subdivision opponent at home three times (2019, 2023 and 2024). The 2025 season will continue that tradition, as the Huskies will kick off the campaign Aug. 30 against College of the Holy Cross in the first-ever meeting between the schools.
NIU will then be faced with its two toughest tests over the next three weeks, going up against the Big Ten Conference’s University of Maryland (Sept. 6) and the Southeastern Conference’s Mississippi State University (Sept. 20) with a bye week in between. The Huskies will eye their 20th Boneyard Win to follow up their historic upset of No. 5 University of Notre Dame last season.
Non-conference play concludes Sept. 27 with a homestand against San Diego State University in the teams’ first matchup since 2017.
“[Vice President and Director of Athletics and Recreation] Sean Frazier and our administration do a great job of putting a non-conference schedule together,” Hammock said in an NIU Athletics news release. “Having a chance to play a Big 10 and a SEC opponent, two of the premier leagues in the country, are opportunities we look forward to. Then we get a quality opponent in San Diego State here at home before starting conference play.”
RIVALRY RENEWALS
In addition to matchups with powerful non-conference opponents, the 2025 schedule also allows NIU to have one last crack at its three greatest adversaries: Ball State University, Miami University and the University of Toledo.
The Huskies will open MAC play on Oct. 4 against Miami (Ohio), which will serve as NIU’s 118th Homecoming game.
Following a two-week road trip to Eastern Michigan University (Oct. 11) and reigning MAC champion Ohio University (Oct. 18), NIU will return home Oct. 25 to take on archrival Ball State in the 18th Battle for the Bronze Stalk.
The midweek MACtion slate kicks off the following week as NIU clashes with longtime sparring partner Toledo. The Huskies will then make their longest road trip of the season – nearly 1,000 miles – to face new MAC member University of Massachusetts on Wednesday, Nov. 12, before heading home to battle Western Michigan University on Tuesday, Nov. 18.
NIU will wrap up its 124th football season on Friday, Nov. 28, when it squares off with Kent State University at Huskie Stadium for their last meeting as MAC cohorts.
NIU 2025 Football Schedule:
Sat, Aug. 30: Holy Cross
Sat, Sept. 6: at Maryland
Sat, Sept. 20: at Mississippi State
Sat, Sept. 27: San Diego State
Sat, Oct. 4: Miami (Ohio)*
Sat, Oct. 11: at Eastern Michigan*
Sat, Oct. 18: at Ohio*
Sat, Oct. 25: Ball State*
Wed, Nov. 5: at Toledo*
Wed, Nov. 12: at UMass*
Tue, Nov. 18: Western Michigan*
Fri, Nov. 28: Kent State*
